The Week of Two Children
by GermaineTopic
Summary: Begins with an alternate take on Shizuka and Zero's reunion. Shizuka kidnaps Kaien before leaving the academy. What does she want? And can she help his constant case of the chills? First (uploaded) fanfic! No romance/lemon. Rated T for violence, and Shizuka being just plain cruel (rating may be go up to M for later chapters). Drama/horror/tragedy/insanity
1. Chapter 1

Why no stories on here about Kaien and Shizuka D: Unforgiveable! It seems there's a lot of unmined potential there. (Hoping this will help inspire you guys to write some more for ME to read =3=)

Bear with me, as I've seen the VK anime about 20 times, and I'm not going to re-watch it all now to check my facts, so I'm relying on my hazy memories. This is sort of an alternate take on the confrontation between Yuuki, Shizuka, and Zero. Forgive the inverted name order, if you're passionate about keeping Japanese name order.

This is actually the 3rd fanfic I've written; I'm working on a really long one, but I keep getting ideas for shorter ones. By the way, the whole thing is essentially written, I'm just a perfectionist who likes to proofread stuff to death. So don't worry, as long as I don't die or fall into a coma, this story will not be left unfinished.

Italics usually indicate thoughts and feelings of the main character (in this case, Kaien Cross).

**Chapter 1**

_Fear._ After his years of training, and from his blood as a vampire hunter, Kaien Cross could sense when something was wrong. Something was making him uneasy. A vaguely familiar rippling sensation….

Something was not right. Where was Zero? He'd be the man to send out to investigate. Where was he? Not at the annual mixed party of humans and vampires. And where was Yuuki? He glanced over where Kaname stood. Over in another corner was Yagari, scowling at the proceedings. He would have to leave the two of them to keep an eye on things. Hopefully they wouldn't murder each other while he was gone.

_Where are those two?_ Kaien had been trained to not panic. But he was getting worried. That unease grew as he made his way to the school's grounds. Where was it coming from…the old night class dorm? The only one who occupied it now was Maria. Had he seen her at the party? He couldn't remember for sure.

He entered the mostly-dark building. Near the door was Maria's masked attendant.

"Have you seen either of the prefects?" Cross asked the young man.

"Yes. They are speaking with my mistress."

"Ah," he sighed. The relief was slight, though. "I'm afraid I'll need to interrupt them. I have some things I need them to see to."

"Certainly, headmaster," the boy responded with a bow, and turned and led him up the creaky, dim stairs. He paused and, he motioned to a door.

Kaien froze. Something was definitely wrong, and it was behind that door. Was it…the suppressed aura of a pureblood? He heard a squeal of distress. _YUUKI! _He threw the door open.

He instictuvely took in everything immediately: The white-haired woman in pale robes, and Yuuki, being held by Zero.

_Shizuka Hio._ Every hunter who was in business some four or five years ago knew well the face of that woman, the insane pureblood: The one who attacked the Kiryuu family, and the one who had bitten Zero. Who made herself to be his master.

A sane vampire could be reasoned with; a mad one could not. And who knew what she would do force Zero to do, with her sway over him. She was probably already forcing him to hold Yuuki. Kaien was sweating. He hadn't spared the time to get himself a weapon.

"Ah, headmaster," Shizuka said in a surprisingly soft voice. "How good of you to visit."

"Papa?" Yuuki asked, voice shaking. He barely registered that she'd called him by that.

"Madam Hio, I had not realized you had come to visit our academy."

"Hmm? I like surprises. So this girl is your daughter?"

"Yes. And I'll be needing her and Zero back." He tried to keep his voice pleasant, and keep her in a stable mood.

"Oh? But I think Zero is hungry. He seems rather starved. He'll need something to eat. Especially in a minute…." With that, she darted an arm around Zero's neck.

"STOP!" Kaien yelled, and jumped forward. While he hadn't brought a weapon, he carried a few anti-vampire spell wards at all times. He whipped some out. Hopefully it would shock her enough to back down. No, he was crazy doing this to a pureblood. But there wasn't anything else, and he was desperate. He didn't want Zero to have to experience another bite, especially at the hand of the one who first violated him.

Neither he nor the wards made it very far. He was suddenly flung against a wall. He was vaguely aware of something giving way, though he wasn't sure if it was the wall, or his bones. He was too dazed to make his body respond, even though his mind knew he had to help the children.

"Ichiru, sit him up somewhere." The masked boy came to him. _Ichiru…wasn't that the name of Zero's brother? What an ironic coincidence. Though they don't look that much different. Dammit, I have to MOVE._

Move he did, but it was by the boy hauling Kaien up with inhuman strength, and dragging him toward the couch. Yes, he most definitely had broken bones. The ribs would be worrisome. He needed to stay alive long enough to help the others. Hopefully Kaname or Yagari – preferably both – would notice something was wrong, and come. Why hadn't he told the others what he had sensed? That was one of the first rules of vampire hunting. Let the others know where you're going. Not that Kaien had been one to stick to rules.

His rag-doll body was put in a seated position near the couch. The boy knelt behind him, holding his arms behind his back. His breath came in short, pained gasps. His voice was the only tool left to him, difficult though it may be to use. He could utter a spell, but one which would subdue a pureblood would take time, enough time to stop him. Weaker spells would take less time, but they wouldn't do any more than irritate her, and would be as likely to get him muffled. He needed to approach this carefully.

"Madam, please, I want to speak with you." He could tell she was languidly pulling away from Zero. _Good._ "For what reason did you come here? Is there some way we might assist you?"

"Why?" she turned. "Why, to see Zero. To see what a fine man he's grown into."

Kaien felt the boy behind him twitch.

"And as you can see, I've been assisted by your students quite well. But as I said, Zero is very hungry. It seems you have not been feeding him properly. But I think you can fix that now." Shizuka turned back to Zero, and took Yuuki's wrists from him.

"No! Don't you dare!"

She laughed lightly. "It might be interesting to see him drink from your daughter. I am sure you would be quite distressed. But the poor girl's blood is already quite low, and it would be sad to have her die quite yet. I was thinking of else."

She dragged Yuuki toward the couch.

"Papa!" she screeched. She hadn't been able to see him well up to now, and had been wrapped in paralyzed fear up till now. Shizuka seated herself on the couch, seating Yuuki on her lap like a child, and holding her firmly, so that the girl's struggles were futile.

_Yuuki, don't tire yourself – save your strength. Dammit, where's Kaname! He should have been able to sense her by now!_

"Zero, drink the headmaster's blood," the pureblood ordered.

"No, don't!" yelled Yuuki. "He's always hated that!"

Shizuka smiled. "All the better!"

Yuuki looked like she was about to cry.

"If it bothers you that much should I have him drink from you?" Shizuka asked her.

"No!" Kaien yelled – much louder than he should have. He gasped air back in from the pain.

"Well, that settles it," she said, as if it really did.

Zero had knelt at the headmaster's side. Kaien raised his eyes to lock with the boy's. Zero's eyes – oh, what anguish was deep in them. Kaien felt a breaking sensation in his heart. This poor boy, who had been through so much, and having his mind and body assaulted again.

"It's OK, Zero," he said softly, and smiled. "You know it's always free to you."

Zero reached out a shaky hand to dig into the hair at the base of his ponytail. The other hand ripped roughly at the high collar, in order to expose his neck. His head was pulled back, and the masked boy also leaned back to give more room.

And Zero bit. It was much faster and smoother than he thought it would be. And Kaien decided he really didn't like it. Sure, having Zero not in control of himself _was_ unpleasant. But there was something very nasty about being bitten on the neck. The body is naturally very protective of it, as harm there can mean a quick death. It was a very vulnerable feeling, being wounded there.

Kaien had been bitten in the arms or shoulders a few times by wild level E's, back in the day, but they were usually reduced to ash within a few moments. Hunter education for the generations after his had had "practice biting" as part of the curriculum: fake bites, but enough to convey the feeling of being bitten. It was to help ensure that a hunter was used to the sensation, and wouldn't panic in the hunt for the first few times when he was bitten.

But Kaien had been too early for that, so this was his first time. If he knew if was like this, he might not have been so quick to offer himself to Zero all those other times. He was starting to feel uncomfortably drained.

"How is it, Zero?" the boy behind him – Ichiru – whispered. "First, she drinks from you a second time, then she makes you drink from a human. What a wonderful vampire hunter you are."

That smirking voice…Ichiru…it couldn't be…

_Ouch!_ Zero apparently reacted to the taunt, because he gave a twitch that left a nasty, painful sensation in the injured neck.

"Zero, that's enough."

_Damn woman, she could probably tell when I was getting to my limit._

Zero slowly pulled out, carefully running his tongue over the puncture holes to help clot them.

"Cross, I have an offer. You come with me away from the academy, willingly. Or I can kill this girl, and take you with me. Which would you like to do?" She gave a sickeningly sweet smile.

`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`

_End of Chapter 1_

Did anyone see Moon Phase? There's that the scene where the guy falls off the mountain and breaks all his bones, so he's in the forest, unable to move for fear of puncturing a lung or something, and that's when that vampire girl finds him. It seemed like a scary, painful, yet effective situation to get a victim. Ugh, what weird thoughts I have.

`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`

For chapter updates and notices on new fanfics and fics, follow me on Twitter at: germainetopic

You're welcome to review, but I probably won't read them (respect my choices!). If you like this story, just follow or favorite! If you have any ideas of your own for the story, write your own fic! The story's already completely written, so I'm not adding to it, but I look forward to seeing more Kaien x Shizuka fics!

I am not a creator or copyright owner, nor official fiction writer authorized to use or create characters and events originating from the Vampire Knight Manga and Anime, or for the Vampire Knight universe, as should be obvious from it being published on the site fanfiction-dot-net. If you are reading this outside of the site fanfiction-dot-net, then this fanfiction was stolen from there.


	2. Chapter 2

I forgot to mention it in the last chapter, but this fic will have about 7-9 chapters in all, depending on how I decide to parse it.

**Chapter 2 **

Why was this even a choice? Oh yeah, sadistic vixen, she probably just wanted to see a hunter grovel at her feet.

"I've always wanted to travel with a pureblood," he gave a wary smile back. _Now, let Yuuki go._

"Wonderful. Now, Ichiru," Shizuka rose, and passed Yuuki to Zero, who held her tightly again.

"I want you to stay here for a while. Spend some time with your dear brother, and catch up on old times. "

Ichuru bowed his head. His demeanor indicated he was disappointed at the order. But now there was no doubt that this was Zero's missing twin. Shizuka came to Cross, and picked him up at the armpits, and raised him to his feet as if he were a small child. Ichiru released him, and stood.

"When will you come back?" Ichiru asked in a disappointed voice. She held the headmaster close with one arm, and stretched out the other to rest on the boy's cheek. "Be patient, dear one. A little separation will make our future reunion sweeter." She ran her hand up his face and through his bangs in an affectionate manner.

_Looks like they had something more than just a master-servant relationship._

Kaien didn't see much more than that; he caught a brief glimpse of Zero, and Yuuki, before there was a crash of glass, and they were outside. Shizuka had released her pureblood power, and aura. _If Yagari can't sense her now, he'd better resign from the hunter association, right now._

They were moving at a speed no other creature could match. She darted – no, _flew_ – through the night, under the pale moon. Kaien was still being held to her side. He gripped her tightly, hoping her iron hold on him would lessen a little. He was beginning to feel nauseated from the pain, as well as from the relief that washed over when he saw that he'd averted harm from the others. Now that she was distancing herself from Zero, he should be able to shake off her influence. He could only pray that Ichiru did them no harm while he was under the last remaining effects of her control.

Would they look for him? Well, there would be an alert out for all hunters to be on the lookout, but it wasn't likely that they would specifically come on a raid to rescue him. It was too risky to deliberately pursue a pureblood. And when a hunter was captured by a pureblood, they had to be ready to end their lives at a moment's notice. It was best, of course, to stay alive as long as possible; there was a slim chance of escape, but a slightly better chance of release by negotiation. But if there was a strong chance of being bitten, then it was best for them to kill themselves pre-emptively, with whatever methods were available. To a hunter, the worst thing ever would be to become a vampire, and be forced to attack humans.

Shizuka had erected a barrier around them, so that even though they moved swiftly, there was no buffeting of wind. In the quiet bubble, moving for hours through the night, Kaien fell into an uneasy slumber.

`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`

He was awake. But he didn't open his eyes.

_Mmhhn… The bed feels especially soft this morning. I must have had a real beauty sleep. But I'm feeling cold…where's the blankets?_

With that, Kaien threw out a sleepy arm to find some and draw them up higher. But something was holding his hand back. He cracked an eye open. Around his wrist was tied a silk cord, like the kind they wrap on curtains. And not only that, this four-poster bed with the semitransparent drapes around it was certainly _not_ his.

And something tight was around his face, and in his mouth. A gag? He remembered what happened yesterday. Well, things could be worse. Nobody was dead – yet. Had he been bitten? He didn't feel like it, but he should make sure. Each hand was bound to one of the two header posts, so they couldn't reach each other. With one hand, he scratched an index fingernail over the base of the thumb several times, until it bled. He watched it for a minute, but it made no sign of healing. _Good._ Hunters could heal more quickly than regular humans, but the rate was still much slower than that of a level D vampire.

A door opened. "Is that your way of telling me you're awake?" a soft female voice lilted. She'd probably been hiding her aura for the sake of surprising him in the room.

He would have quipped something back at her, but he was still gagged. The curtains were drawn from the head. Morning sunlight swept through the room. Perhaps she had not yet slept.

He pulled himself up into a seated position. He noticed that his own clothes were gone, and was now wearing a simple robe. She reached for his head, and seemed to undo straps around his head that were holding the gag in place. She pulled the thing out; it was some sort of enameled metal contraption that held a dual purpose of muzzling the wearer, and preventing him from biting his tongue. _Lovely_.

"I didn't want you to kill yourself while I was out of the room." She smiled. "I've had hunters do that on me before. Apparently there's a suicide spell they can use just by uttering words. I don't suppose you people practice it much." She laughed at her joke as she laid his glasses beside him on the bed.

"So you want me to live?" he asked. "I'm surprised you haven't bitten me yet. Am I a hostage?"

"No."

"So why did you take me with you? Oh, I see. You've gotten bored of the Kiryuu boy?"

"Perhaps. He's beautiful, but he's still such a child. He's seen so little of the world. But you, you have seen much. Innocence tastes sweet, but so does an aged vintage."

"You're saying that your palette is bored?" he asked with a wry smile.

"Only that I need something else to play with for a bit. I'll take him back when I'm bored with you."

"You never bit that child, did you."

"No… I've found they can be much more interesting when they have the choice to resist."

He suddenly remembered that he had been in pain last night. But his ribs felt fine this morning.

"I seem to remember breaking some bones yesterday. Did you do something to heal me?"

"Yes. But if I need them broken again, it won't be any trouble."

_Of course not..._

"I suppose you will need sustenance? I am not skilled at preparing human food. Perhaps I was hasty in sending the maid away." He felt the cords loosen from his wrists. Apparently she could use her power for untying things.

"Maid? This is not your house?"

"No. I think it was just a miserly old human who lived here. He was very bland."

He decided not to question further on that topic. He rose from the bed, and followed her from the room into the chilly hall. Apparently there was no heating on in the rest of the house. Judging by the size of the hall, they were in a very large house; nay, probably a mansion.

_Actually, it would be nice to visit a bathroom first…._

He suddenly gasped, and nearly doubled over, shivering violently.

"What is it?" her placid voice asked.

He quieted his spasming and gasping after a few moments. He raised his face, showing an apologetic smile.

"Well, I have a touch of Reynaud's, you see. I tend to get chilled easily."

"Would some more clothes help?"

"Y-yes." That damnable spasming was back. This damnable robe was so thin, and yet again he was plagued with this damnable cold which had often made his latter years as a hunter challenging.

He suddenly felt himself being lifted. _I don't think I'll ever get used to a woman carrying me._ She brought him into a room, and seated him on a sofa. This place seemed to be a walk-in wardrobe. She shuffled through the hangars of clothes, before selecting a warm outfit.

"Black will look lovely with your pale hair. That child would keep trying to wear black, even though I didn't want him to. Black is for the aged, not the young."

The clothes were for someone of a noticeably larger circumference, and thus were baggy. He topped off the outfit with an extra fur coat, fur hat, and lined gloves and slippers. He probably made a more ridiculous picture than usual. But nobody whose opinion he cared about was going to be seeing him.

He went downstairs. It would take a while more for him to warm up, and moving would help. _Where is she, anyway? Kitchen?_ He passed an open door, and saw her in a large room, standing before large windows, gazing outside at a dreary garden.

"You know," she said, "Today is the anniversary of the day I first met him. I once wrote in a journal on occasion. I marked that day. When it comes to humans, one must keep record of little things like that; otherwise, their lives are gone before you know it."

_She must be speaking of her level D lover. _ The investigation after the death of the adult Kiryuus revealed that there was something suspicious about the means by which that man was put on the death roster. He had eventually been ordered to stop pursuing the matter, but unjust killing still rankled.

"I suppose you should have your breakfast now." She passed him out of the room, and led the way to the kitchen.

`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`o`

_End of Chapter 2_

For chapter updates and notices on new fanfics and fics, follow me on Twitter at: germainetopic

I am not a creator or copyright owner, nor official fiction writer authorized to use or create characters and events originating from the Vampire Knight Manga and Anime, or for the Vampire Knight universe, as should be obvious from it being published on . If you are reading this outside of , then this fanfiction was stolen from there.


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